The Downwind Walk: A Usar Paramedic’S Experiences After the Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001

By Steve Kanarian

About the Book

The Downwind Walk lets you experience the tragic events following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001 through the eyes of an Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) paramedic who went into harms way to rescue the victims, which rapidly included many of his brothers and sisters of the New York Fire Department (NYFD) and Emergency Medical Services (EMS).

The author was a member of the EMS FDNY in the Bronx who was deployed with the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) USAR team at Ground Zero. He went downwind with the USAR team after they set up operations and donned the proper protective clothing and breathing protection. Their mission was to take a first hand look at that mass casualty incident (MCI), assess the damage and losses, and make an estimation of resources needed to mitigate the incident. The reader is invited to take the downwind walk with Steve as he recounts the events, sights, smells and vivid memories of that unforgettable September .. from eye level at Ground Zero, in his dusty boots.

In this book, you will read stories about EMTs and paramedics who were at Ground Zero with the author, including some who were wounded or traumatized and others who made the ultimate sacrifice. You will also learn about NYFD EMS personnel who made a significant contribution to patient care and public service by responding to numerous 9-1-1 calls or assisting fallen coworkers that week despite extremely stressful working conditions.

No doubt you have heard the popular stories that tell of heroism on airline flights, in the Twin Towers and at the Pentagon. It is also important for future generations of Americans to know about the sacrifice and dedication of NYFD EMS first responders. Now is the time to share their stories as the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 looms on the horizon as ominously as the smoke and dust filled the atmosphere after the collapse of the Twin Towers.

Steve wants future EMTs and paramedics to know about the individual acts of caring and dedication of the EMS first responders at Ground Zero. He also would like to share with them stories of how EMS dealt with this horrendous incident and lessons learned from the catastrophic consequences of that MCI so they may learn from their experience.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Oct 7, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456798871

Steve Kanarian

About the Author Steven Kanarian is an accomplished EMS professional with over 25 years experience. He was trained as a paramedic (EMT-P) at Northeastern University. Steve earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Organizational Management at Nyack College and a Masters degree in Public Health (MPH) at New York Medical College. Steve has been a paramedic since 1984. Steve was a Medical Specialist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency Urban Search and Rescue (FEMA USAR) New York Task Force – 1 from 1991 to 2009. He has been an EMS Educator since 1994. He has taught EMS courses. Steve currently teaches paramedics at the City University of New York and LaGuardia Community College. In 2009, Steve retired from the New York City Fire Department, EMS Command as a Lieutenant after 25 years of service. He is a freelance writer and lecturer who has published articles and given professional presentations on pre-hospital care, EMS education, supervision and MCI management topics. He has published articles on EMS and management including: “Assessing the learning objectives of EMT's and paramedics responding to terrorist incidents” and “The psychological aftermath of terrorism.” Steve served as Chair of the Research Committee for the National Association of EMS Educators (NAEMSE) from 2006 to 2009. Steve’s areas of specialty are paramedic education, MCI management and EMS supervision/leadership. He is available for lectures, consulting, and special projects on these topics.

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© 2012 Steve Kanarian, EMT-P, MPH. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 6/28/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4567-9889-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-9888-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-9887-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011915820

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The stories in the book were compiled from the memories of the author, and EMTs and paramedics he knew. An effort was made to tell as accurate a history of these events as they are remembered. In some cases fictional names were used.

Copyright 2011 Steven E. Kanarian, EMT-P, MPH. All rights reserved.

Contents

Photographs

Acknowledgements

Dedication

Foreword

About the Book

INTRODUCTION

PART ONE

Life at FDNY EMS Battalion 55 Before 9/11

I

Sweet Summer’s End. Friday September 7, 2001

II Signal 10-40, Plane Crash. Saturday September 8, 2001

PART TWO

Terrorist Attacks on the World Trade Center

III

Blue Skies Overhead. Tuesday September 11, 2001

IV

Express Bus to Ground Zero. Tuesday September 11, 2001

V

Taking the Downwind Walk. Tuesday September 11, 2001

VI

The Longest Day in EMS History. Wednesday September 12, 2001

VII

Homeward Bound. Thursday September 13, 2001

VIII

Night at Ground Zero. Friday September 14, 2001

IX

Long Night of Searching. Saturday September 15, 2001

X

The Spirit of New York . Sunday September 16, 2001

XI

Turning the Bend. Monday September 17, 2001

PART THREE

Putting the Pieces Together after 9/11

XII

Life at Battalion 55 after 9/11

XIII

The 300-Pound Bear in the Room

PART FOUR

Dealing with 343 Deaths, Sadness and Anger

XIV

Road to Getting Help.

XV

The Appointment. March 2002

XVI

Carlos Lillo

XVII

New Beginnings. Spring 2002

XVIII

EMS Week 2002 at St. Paul’s Chapel

XIX

The Master Sergeant

XX

A Coincidental Event? Spring 2003

XXI

The Five Year Mark. Kids in a Bus Accident

AFTERWORD

Looking Towards the Future at the Ten Year Mark

APPENDIX

A Final Word with Pat Bahnken

Safety Rules to Live By and Stay Alive By

Abbreviations and Acronyms

About the Author

Photographs

The World Trade Center Façade in 1989

New York’s BestLieutenant Rich Cestaro and EMT Bobby

Brown, NYC EMS Special Operations Division, with the

Twin Towers in the skyline before 9/11(Photo Courtesy of

Division Chief J.P. Martin, Retired)

Riverview of New York Skyline with Twin Towers in 1989

World Trade Center Front Doors before 9/11

Ground Zero After the Collapse of the Twin Towers

(Photo Courtesy of Luis Mattalana)

FDNY members of USAR Team at the Staging Area on 9/11

(Photo Courtesy of Luis Matallana)

Number 7 World Trade Center Collapsing

(Photo Courtesy of Luis Matallana)

Pandemonium after the Collapse of the Twin Towers

(Photo Courtesy of Luis Matallana)

Number 7 World Trade Center on the Ground

(Photo Courtesy of Bobby Wong)

New York Task Force 1, Medical Specialists at Medical Base

Camp on 9/11 (Photo Courtesy of Luis Matallana)

EMTs Bobby Wong and Daniel Huiein Respiratory Filter

Masks at Ground Zero (Photo Courtesy of Bobby Wong)

Wreckage of 7 World Trade Center at the

North Footbridge on 9/11

Destroyed Ambulance in Wreckage of Twin Towers

(Photo courtesy FEMA/Andrea Booher)

Ladder Company Spraying Water on the Wreckage of 7 World

Trade Center (Photo courtesy of Bobby Wong)

Remnants of the Shattered Gold Globe in the Wreckage

Passersby Waving and Thanking Rescuers (Photo Courtesy of

FEMA/Andrea Booher)

ESU Officers Attempting to Cut the I-Beams

American Flag Flying in the Pit

Line of Volunteers Passing Equipment and Supplies in the Pit

Don Brown Wearing USAR Personal Protective

Equipment at Ground Zero

Mechanical Monsters Moving Metal at Ground Zero

(Photo Courtesy of Bobby Wong)

Central Park Unit Volunteers Including Tina Dunn, an

Unidentified EMT, and Andrew Skomorfsky Working at the

WTC Site on 9/15 (Photo courtesy of Bobby Wong)

Volunteer EMT Assisting with Mask at WTC Site

(Photo Courtesy of Bobby Wong)

USAR Ambulance at Twin Towers after 1993 Bombing

ESU Truck 3 in Front of Twin Towers after 1993 Bombing

Joe and Steve at Times Square after 9/11

(Photo Courtesy of Joe Conzo)

Burned Out Remains of Number 5 World Trade Center

Kevin Viewing Ground Zero from the

Engine 10 Ladder 10 House Roof

9/11 Memorial Outside St. Paul’s Chapel

FDNY Chiefs Brown and Carrasquillo at St. Paul’s Chapel

Steve Kanarian (Photo by Brian Fitzgerald)

Acknowledgements

I want to express my sincere gratitude to my wonderful colleagues who generously gave me permission to write about their life experiences and to include their pictures. I want to thank Joe Conzo, Pat Bahnken, Kevin Cassidy, Keith McGregor and Domenic Maggiore for sharing their experiences with me. I also want to thank my family for their continued support and my co-workers from Battalion 55 such as Captain Santo, Booch, Mike Condon and others who made dealing with 9/11 bearable.

I would like to extend my appreciation to Bob Reeg and Peter Kearny who survived the Collapse of the World Trade Center and Paramedic Bill McCabe who was in the Trade Center in 1993 when it was bombed. I appreciate your friendship and appreciate your presence. You are my Good Trade Center stories.

I appreciate the unqualified support Jason Hums gave me through phone calls in the hours after 9/11 and the years following that event. I would like to thank Kevin Bachi for his support in writing this book and packing his bags the morning of September 11, 2001 to come find us.

I would like to thank Chief James J. P. Martin of the FDNY EMS for allowing me to tell his story and whose interest in this project validated the concept of this book. I would also like to thank Christine Alvarez, Director of EMS Education at LaGuardia Community College, for her insightful support during this endeavor. I also want to thank Anne Castioni, Caroline Osborne, Sam Bradley, Ralph Caruso and Dr. Maureen Sowa for taking the time to review the draft version of this book and sharing their insights, and Dr. Mary Zahm for her assistance in preparing the manuscript for publication.

I would also like to thank Scott Meahger who started me on my EMS career, and David Drowne of the Rehoboth Rescue Squad who gave me the heavy rescue and rope rescue training that enabled me to be selected for the New York City Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team. I also would like to thank the many instructors at the NYC EMS Academy who trained us in safety, blood borne pathogen and terrorism awareness training throughout the years.

I would like to thank Chief Walter Kowalczyk and Chief Steven Kuhr for their influence and the expertise they passed on to me in mass casualty incident (MCI) management. I appreciate the superior training I received through Deputy Chief Paul Maniscalco and the New York City Fire Department Special Operations Command who provided us with the finest collapse rescue, confined space, rope rescue and Haz Mat training, which helped us to work safely on September 11, 2001. I would also like to thank Doctor Dario Gonzales who foresaw what lay ahead and trained us for this eventuality.

I appreciate the dedication of Chief Maniscalco, Chief Charlie Wells, and Chief Carl Tramantana who ensured that we had the best training from the best resources in New York City. I would also like to thank Chief James P. Booth who kept us focused on those long nights at Ground Zero as hope rapidly slipped into the horizon. Writing a book is a tremendous endeavor that cannot be accomplished alone. Writing a book about 9/11 is an especially difficult task. I am very grateful for the assistance of those mentioned above who helped make this book a reality. I had a burning need to share this story about the role of EMS in the rescue operations following the bombings of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, including the steps that my three best friends and I took to stay safe and healthy while working at Ground Zero.

I would especially like to acknowledge the sacrifice and understanding my wife Moira and my three children showed me during those stressful months. Unfortunately we often give our all at work for our patients and we have little left for our family when we return home. I will spend the balance of my life trying to atone for time lost.

I would like to thank my mother Mary Kanarian Zahm for supporting my career and writing. I am especially appreciative of my father Peter Kanarian who taught me the value of people and how to work tirelessly until the job was done, completely done. I also wish I was able to express my understanding to my Uncle Norire Kanarian who suffered from stress following World War II combat in the South Pacific. I now know why you were so sad on holidays. May you rest in peace, with pride.

Thank you to all listed above and those countless co-workers and friends who had a hand in shaping my abilities and keeping me motivated when the going was exceedingly tough as well as those whose names I may have inadvertently omitted.

I am especially grateful for the many people I have worked along side of who supported me along the journey. When asked if I miss the work in retirement I reply, No, but I do miss doing important jobs with great people.

Dedication

I dedicate this book to all of the EMTs and paramedics who took the downwind walk on September 11, 2001 in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York who continue to live with the memories of this tragic event.

I also dedicate this book to the memory of those EMTs and paramedics who died on September 11, 2001 or in the months and years following their exposure at Ground Zero. I have written this book with these EMTs and paramedics in mind.

I have written this book with the younger generation of EMS rescuers in mind because I want them to know what their brothers and sisters experienced on September 11, 2001 and how we survived serving at Ground Zero.

Foreword

By

Dr. Chris Nollette, NREMTP, LP, Director

Ben Clark Training Center/Public Safety,

Moreno Valley College, Riverside Community College District

The Downwind Walk: A USAR Paramedic’s Experience after the Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001 is a unique look through the eyes of a fellow brother who took that downwind walk for the rest of us during that fateful day. It is a professional and personal account of what transpired shortly before and during one of the most painful and tragic events of our history.

The author, Lt. Steven Kanarian, not only has an incredible vantage point as an EMS professional in one of the most prestigious departments in our country but also as a fellow EMS educator he brings an additional perspective to these horrific events. Always a leader, EMS professional, and a consummate EMS educator, this book is another chance to teach the next generation the importance of friendship, teamwork, a love for one’s profession and for mankind.

He understood that he was a part of history and that the next generation can learn from the terrible events that unfolded on America’s sad day. Lt. Steven Kanarian and I spent many hours talking about how our professional sacrifice can be compared to the sacrifice of the 300 Spartans as they locked their shields against the invading army led by Xerxes, King of Persia in 480 B.C. at the narrow pass at Thermoplyae.

Maybe the shield of today is the patch that we wear on our shoulder or the badge on our chest. Only a Spartan can tell you what drives them forward — shoulder to shoulder with their brothers and sisters — in the face of great danger and personal sacrifice. Only a Spartan can know how important their service is to their fellow soldiers and the cities that they protect. Only a Spartan can accept death for another without stepping back or to the side meeting death face-to-face.

Lt. Steven Kanarian and the men and women who locked shields together on that day know the answer of why they do it. We are blessed as a nation to have Spartans among us whose sacrifice becomes our greatest inspiration and our greatest teacher of how to live our lives and how to live our profession.

They weren’t there, they went there. They didn’t run from the fire, they ran into the fire. They didn’t run down the staircases, they ran up the staircases. They didn’t lose their lives, they gave them.

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman

Foreword

By

Christine Alvarez, Director of EMS Education

LaGuardia Community College

A tall lean man of few words, Joe Farrell is well respected among his fellows at the NYS Office of the Bureau of EMS. On September 11, 2001, Joe responded to the World Trade Center only to find the building crashing down around him. Seeking refuge from the falling concrete and steel, he spied two FDNY fire trucks nearby and dove under one of them. When he emerged, he saw that although the truck he had chosen had left him unscathed, the other truck’s tires had all blown out and the two-ton truck had pancaked onto the ground.

Manuel Manny Delgado, is a man of great integrity and inner strength. An experienced paramedic from the FDNY Office of Medical Affairs, he likewise responded to the World Trade Center only to barely escape with his life. As he approached the Towers, he acknowledged his former student James Jimmy Pappageorge as he entered the Trade Center. Soft spoken Jimmy had just recently left EMS for the fire side of FDNY and was one of the 343 firefighters who perished that day. Prior to the buildings’ collapse, victims in the flaming towers were tragically jumping or falling to their deaths. This caused unbelievable physical and psychological trauma for those on the ground. The people and debris falling from the crumbling Towers missed Manny by only inches.

Paramedic Enrique Gonzalez was triaging patients in a building adjacent to the Towers when the walls began to shake. The EMS Lieutenant wisely ordered all to immediately evacuate the premises. That order was countermanded by a fire captain who admonished them to follow their orders to triage in that location or be subject to disciplinary charges. Thankfully all survived as Enrique and the other brave responders evacuated their patients and personnel minutes before the structure fell.

Captain Kathy Mazza-Delosh was not so fortunate. A former operating room nurse and current EMT Instructor, Kathy held the position of Commander of the Port Authority Police Academy at the time of the attacks. She responded to Ground Zero with other courageous members of the Port Authority. For a long time no one knew what had happened to her. Her husband, family, and friends hoped she could have somehow survived the Towers’ collapse. As the painstaking work of removing the debris took place, eventually her remains and her story were revealed. She had died evacuating a disabled woman together with another Port Authority Police Officer. Her gun was empty of bullets as she had used her weapon to shoot out the lobby windows to open further opportunities for victims to escape.

I have shared with you briefly the exceptional bravery and service of these five individuals within our emergency services. As you take The Downwind Walk with Paramedic and former Lieutenant Steven Kanarian, he will take you into the inner world of EMS especially in the days of and after the WTC attacks. The danger at Ground Zero extended well beyond September 11 in part due to mountains of unstable debris and raging underground fires. Later would come the respiratory diseases and psychological trauma. Lt. Kanarian will share with you his experiences as they came from around the country to help in the search for survivors. He will share with you THE REALITY of those on the street.

In The Downwind Walk, Paramedic Kanarian brings us back to that time when we felt together as a community, vowing NEVER TO FORGET all those who passed away on or because of the September 11 attacks from the Pentagon, to Flight 93, to the Twin Towers.

There are so many stories we still do not know. Learn from this one.

About the Book

The Downwind Walk: A USAR Paramedic’s Experiences after the Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001 lets you experience the tragic events following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001 through the eyes of an Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) paramedic who went into harm’s way to rescue the victims, which rapidly included many of his brothers and sisters of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) and New York City Emergency Medical Services (EMS).

The author was a member of the FDNY EMS Command in the Bronx who supervised EMTs and paramedics and responded to the attack on the World Trade Center. Lt. Steven Kanarian went downwind with the USAR team to take a first-hand look at that mass casualty incident (MCI), assess the damage and losses, and rescue those lost in the terrorist attack. Take the downwind walk with Lt. Kanarian as he recounts the events, sights, smells and vivid memories of that unforgettable September … from eye level at Ground Zero, in his dusty boots.

In this book, you will read stories about EMTs and paramedics who were at Ground Zero with the author, including some who were wounded or traumatized and others who made the ultimate sacrifice. You will also learn about EMS personnel who made a significant contribution to patient care and public service by responding to numerous 911 calls or assisting fallen coworkers that week despite extremely stressful working conditions.

No doubt you have heard the popular stories that tell of heroism on airline flights, in the Twin Towers and at the Pentagon. It is also important for future generations of Americans to know about the sacrifice and dedication of EMS first responders. Now is the time to share their stories on the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

Lt. Steven Kanarian wants future EMTs and paramedics to know about the individual acts of caring and dedication of the EMS first responders at Ground Zero. He also would like to share with them stories of how EMS responders dealt with this horrendous mass casualty incident as well as lessons learned from the catastrophic consequences of that MCI so they may learn from their experience and stay safe in the future.

INTRODUCTION

September 11, 2001 is a day in American history that has left an indelible memory on all who experienced the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. Within the inner circle of New York City Emergency Medical Services (EMS) there are stories told of caring, dedication and sacrifice by EMTs and paramedics at the World Trade Center.

Everyday Heroes is a term used to describe EMTs and paramedics who care for patients regardless of race, color, religion or social status and do it without recognition. September 11, 2001 demanded EMTs and paramedics to give their utmost caring, courage and dedication. Some EMS providers also gave their lives during the collapse of the World Trade Center. This book documents the stories of some of the EMTs and paramedics who took the downwind walk to rescue victims of this tragedy. Their spirit represents the best of EMS.

I was a member of the FDNY (Fire Department of New York) EMS Command in the Bronx who was deployed with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at Ground Zero. I feel privileged to have worked with so many EMTs and paramedics who shared with me the details of their experiences on September 11, 2001. I believe my unique role during the tragic events gives me a vantage point from which I can share some of these stories and lessons learned.

I am proud to have worked with several of the EMTs and paramedics who gave the ultimate sacrifice or succumbed to exposure in the months following the collapse of the Twin Towers. I feel that since I knew so many of these people, I have a responsibility to share stories not only about their circumstances on 9/11 but also how we knew them in life.

Many EMTs and paramedics are struggling to put these events behind them and forget the tragedy of that ominous September morning. I have looked back on that day to try to reconcile the magnitude of this horrendous tragedy. After mentally reliving the sights, sounds, and smells and sifting through the debris of that September 11th, I feel that caring and courage alone are the only things left intact among the ashes. I think it is important to tell the EMS story so those who want to know how EMS providers dealt with this tragedy can understand the breadth of caring and the depth of our